13 April 2011
Day 3: 13 April – More lesson fun!
Today saw Pippa, Tina and myself heading out into the hotel gardens immediately after breakfast, clutching plastic containers apiece. Our mission was to collect samples of hopefully interesting items to view through magnifying glasses and under microscopes. We then headed to Kings Kid Academy in Lamin Village – a fantastic school which has now, thanks to PAGEANT funding for extra classrooms, developed into an Upper Basic School as well as a Nursery and Lower Basic. Chris and Charlotte, two very keen new PAGEANT members staying at the hotel accompanied us on the visit. We held a microscope workshop with Grade 7 students which was hugely successful. They were given the chance to look at a variety of objects from leaves and flowers, to sponge, paper, ribbon and even ants. First they looked at the objects with the naked eye, and then compared their first impression with a succession of magnifying glasses and microscopes. No blackboard teaching – purely investigative!! Grade 7's biggest surprise was that the sand from Banjul beach looked just like glass beads or 'diamonds' as one of the girls described! While Pippa lead the science activities, Tina lead some creative art lessons in Grade 3. The children drew fabulous pictures from nature, including butterflies, snakes and dragonflies, and then collaged them with tissue paper, feathers and foam shapes. After lots of encouragement, the pictures reflected the growing confidence in the childrens' creative skills, and will definitely brighten up the classroom!
We then visited the new nursery block which has been relocated around the corner from the main school buildings. Three very nice light and airy classrooms of happy children who sang lively welcome songs to us in true Gambian tradition! After a lovely drink and late lunch at Lamin Lodge,we headed back to the hotel for some R&R before our trip up country early tomorrow.
No blog for two days as we will be out of wi-fi range, but hope to be back at the weekend! For all those waiting with baited breath, we are still researching goats! Lots of love, F, T and P x x x
